Emily Heide '20 Recruiting Profile

When I was in fourth grade, I remember seeing an old tennis racquet in my garage and thought "I think I'd like to give that a try."  I went and asked my dad if he wanted to go out and hit some tennis balls with me and he said sure.  We live in a very small town where tennis is not given much thought, and so the courts at our local park are pretty run down.  No matter what shape the courts where in, though, the minute we started hitting the ball back and forth and I felt the ball hit the strings of my racquet, I immediately fell in love with tennis.  

My parents started taking me to lessons with a local instructor in the fall of my fifth grade year.  I worked diligently to improve my strokes both during practice and in my own time with my dad.  I knew early on that I would have to work twice as hard as the kids in bigger cities to be competitive.  I'm willing to do the work because tennis is my passion.  I feel like I can go to a completely different world.  When I'm struggling with something in my life, I go to the tennis court and begin hitting balls.  I focus on placing the ball, focus on that moment in time.  

Some of the strengths to my game are my serve, my backhand, my power, and most importantly, sportsmanship.  With a less experienced player, I can usually win points quickly on a serve and volley or approach shot down the line.  For those that are more experienced, I have learned to be patient, hitting several balls until I can draw the other player off of the court, come in, and put the short ball away.  I consistently serve between 85-95 miles per hour, and have reached 100 on occasion.  After almost every match I play, I am complimented on my good sportsmanship by my opponent and/or their parents.  While I do believe in keeping myself pumped up, I do not believe in yelling and throwing a fit while on the court.  My parents have always taught me to be respectful, but firm, and tennis is a gentle"women"'s sport, so I need to act accordingly.

Tennis is also very much a mental game.  I think that's my favorite part.  I love trying to get into my opponent's head, and by using strategy, winning the mental battle.  As I've gotten more experienced, it's rewarding to now be able to execute a strategy that I've worked so hard on in practice.

I am so blessed because God has gifted me with the athletic ability to play the sport I love.  It has changed my life.  I'm a more confident person that has learned quick and critical thinking while in the midst of a battle.  I'm not only winning matches for myself, but I'm working hard to glorify God.  When I begin to feel down on the court, I think of I Corinthians 10:31 "Whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God."

While I work extremely hard at tennis, I also work hard academically.  I realize that there will come a day when there's no more tennis and I need to be prepared for the future.  I am currently looking to pursue a career in physical therapy or youth ministry.  Having gone through some injuries myself, and working with an amazing physical therapist, I believe I could be successful in helping other injured athletes.  I also have a strong faith in God and believe that faith begins with our youth.

Because tennis is not a big sport in Mountain Home, my parents made the decision a year and a half ago to travel three hours one way, to allow my sister and I to take lessons at an academy in Bentonville, AR.  Along with trying to travel to as many tournaments as we can, we drive at least one day a week to Bentonville to meet up with my coach there for a private lesson and drills.  Again, I work twice as hard as the other kids because I know I am only getting 5-6 hours a week on the court whereas most competitors that I'm playing against spend that many hours a day on the court.  I'm very thankful to my parents for making such a huge time commitment to allow both me and my sister the opportunity to be the best that we can be and always encouraging us to reach our potential.

While I love tennis and want to be playing all of the time, I do enjoy some other hobbies as well.  I love being involved in my church and my youth group.  We volunteer around our community, picking up trash, cleaning houses, helping with maintenance around our church, and helping with beautification at our local homeless shelters.  I also enjoy reading, writing in my journal, and other types of volunteer work.  I play a clarinet and so I have gone with a small group at my high school to play tunes at the local nursing homes.  I have also worked at the food bank and helped in the local food drives.  

In closing, I hope you will allow me the opportunity to visit with you to see if I would be a good fit to play on your tennis team in the Fall of 2020. I believe I still have enormous room for improvement and am excited for the opportunity to reach my full potential!

Emily Heide, Class of 2020